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Sydneysider Matthew Sheil has built what could easily be one of
the most elaborate big boy's toys in the world, and his efforts
have earned him a Guinness world record.

Sheil is the top gun in the surreal world of flight simulator
enthusiasts, where virtual pilots join virtual airlines, fly
virtual routes and are assisted by virtual air traffic
controllers.

For most, a joystick and Microsoft's Flight Simulator PC
software is sufficient, but, over the past 10 years, Sheil has
built what Guinness describes as the "world's most expensive home
flight simulator".

A homebrew version of the $60 million simulators used to train
pilots, Sheil's contraption is almost identical to the cockpit of a
747-400.

Thanks to 45 different software programs running on 14 different
computers, the simulator allows Sheil to fly to and from 27,000
different airports around the world with breathtaking realism.

By day, Sheil runs a trucking parts company but at night he
takes to the skies with other enthusiasts from around the globe.
The simulator is stored at his warehouse in Chipping Norton.

It is able to mimic real-world weather conditions in any country
with startling accuracy, and the hydraulics system means Sheil can
feel every bump.

"When you taxi out on the runway you feel it bumping on the
cracks in the pavement, you feel it when the wheels touch down," he
said.

While only a handful of people in the world have a simulator
that's anywhere near as good as Sheil's, thanks to Microsoft's
Flight Simulator, anyone with a PC, joystick and an internet
connection can fly with him from the comfort of their bedrooms.

Terry Scanlan, founder of the virtual flying association VATPAC, says there are
5000 members in Australia.

"We've got real pilots that fly for Qantas that are on our
network and we've also got air traffic controllers that do this as
a hobby as well - one of the air traffic controllers that works in
Melbourne is in charge of our training," he said.

Scanlan said although air traffic control sounds boring it's
actually fun and challenging. Last night he was tracking 20 or 30
aircraft movements.

"The challenge - as it is in the real world - is to keep planes
from flying into each other and you do that by the use of the
simulated radar that we have and we can actually see the targets
and following real-world procedures we keep the aircraft
separated," he said.

In Sheil's simulator, computer screens replace the windows and
if he is flying in the virtual world behind a person in Melbourne,
and they are using a Qantas 767, "we actually see a Qantas 767 out
the window - the software puts it in there for us - and he sees
us".

Moreover, if Sheil flies through Russia, he is greeted by a
volunteer Russian air traffic controller. Cars can be seen on the
road when he comes in to land and people wave at him from the
terminals.

Sheil says it's sometimes easy to forget that it's a
simulation.

No one involved in virtual flying make any money from it. In
fact, all of the money Sheil earns by renting out his simulator for
training is donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS).

The simulator cost him $300,000 to build - a far cry from the
$60 million price tag on the professional simulators - but many of
the parts were donated to him because of his charity work.

Every year, Sheil and scores of other simulator enthusiasts from
countries including Britain, Scotland, USA and Austria, participate
in an event called Worldflight (video here) to raise money for the RFDS.

Participants go to their nearest flight simulator - Sheil hosts
about 15 people, some from overseas - and take part in a
round-the-world-flight, taking legs in shifts for an entire
week.

"They're here for the whole week and they'll be rostered on at
certain times of the day to fly," he said.

"It's all done in real-world conditions - Qantas sponsors us and
they provide airline food for a week."

Sheil is a veteran real-world pilot and owns a Beechcraft Baron
B58. He said he preferred flying a real plane but enjoyed the
simulator because there were no limitations.

"The [real] plane I fly you take off and you point it in the
direction of Melbourne and you press a button and away it goes
until you come into land, whereas a simulator you can do whatever
you want - if you want to fly upside down, fly upside down," he
said.

"If we hit a mountain or the ground the simulator just freezes
in its current state and everything goes red - and then we just hit
reset."

1236447451617-smh.com.auhttp://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/matts-on-a-different-plane--and-its-surreal/2009/03/13/1236447451617.htmlsmh.com.auSydney Morning Herald2009-03-12Matt's on a different plane ... and it's surrealAsher MosesTechnologyhttp://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2009/03/13/flightsim_wideweb__470x278,0.jpg